The Greenhouse Tavern takes its eco-friendly mission seriously. Barn-board wall panels hark back to a pastoral century. Bicycle-wheel rims on overhead lamps suggest well-spent miles. Even the location suggests rebirth -- on a vintage street so crackling with reinvigorated popularity, it made The New York Times.

But open the recycled-paper menu and virgin territory pops out. Yes, there is a French flair in the techniques here, but there are daring new takes on older ideas, plus the freshness and deep flavors of many local ingredients plucked from Cuyahoga Valley farms.

The time has come for Greenhouse Tavern, and Greenhouse Tavern is one of those little places defining the times. Recognition continues to flow, with chef and co-owner Jonathon Sawyer winning Best Chef/Great Lakes in 2015 from the James Beard Foundation. He beat out a pool of Chicago chefs, so there.

Well, can we now change the name to Chicken Wing Heaven? Or Clam and Foie Gras Cafe? Desserts Divine? Each would say something about the tavern's food at its best. Sawyer, part of the Michael Symon brat pack and stellar on his own from co-founding Bar Cento near West Side Market, takes some major leaps with this place.

Anyone who thinks this is about chicken wings as usual will be floored by Sawyer's confit and crisped version. The meat falls off the bone in succulent chunks as with the best of barbecues. There's a toss of jalapeno peppers and onion, but if you don't like the heat, just push them aside and dive in. No other wings in this area can touch such plushness and complex meat flavor.

The clams in foie gras broth are for anyone who dares try something new in the deep, umami surf and turf. And the ritual meal is a half pig's head, barbecued to silken lusciousness. Yes, it still looks like a pig's head, so you'd better bring your carnivore ID card.

Our only recent disappointment was the lamb burger, an extra-flavorful meat with a playful preparation including "a fondue of stinky cheese." I'm not afraid of stinky cheese, yet it was more braggadocio than stink. What really didn't work was the texture of the burger, packed too densely to enjoy the crumble of the grind.

While red meats, especially local red meats, hog the spotlight here, the house also prizes its vegetables. Exhibit A is a whole-roasted eggplant with no manners and a whole lot of personality. The semi-blackened fruit is smeared onto a long wooden board, seasoned with various stages of lentil, tomato, za'atar spice and lemon. Slices of ciabatta toast sit on the side, ready for the primal experience. Share this one as a tribal act.

Two salads did not disappoint, either. A Spring Pea Tar Tar salad mixed the legumes with cilantro, mint, puffed rice and sheep cheese. Finely chopped, it did a little dance on the tongue, each element recognizable for its dainty moves. Red Basket Farm red cabbage salad also had a party going on, this time with parsley root, fermented mustard, pumpkin confit and kale crisp. When putting this one together, though, there was a bit too much of the mustard, overwhelming the vegetables.

Heat turned into bullying in the Tabasco Chicken, an unforgettable fried version. I realize that anyone who orders something with Tabasco in the title should know what to expect, but I really wish that more of the heat had been optional. This is not a dish where you get used to it. It's in the breading and in the dipping sauce, cornering anyone used to the more common restaurant heat levels. But, oh, the meat underneath was sublimely tender and dropping off the bones. For the right daredevil, it's truly saucy.

May we rush to dessert? Sweets such as a custard that tastes like popcorn with its own caramel on top make it a place to stop in late.

Ecological principles are magnificent, but we don't want them to be insincere or stuffed down our throats. Greenhouse Tavern is among those genuine places that have us opening wide.

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